


Twilight

by Annsabella



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Drama, Episode adaptation, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-06-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:55:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24613393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Annsabella/pseuds/Annsabella
Summary: This story was pitched as an episode for Star Trek: Voyager and was the writer's attempt at a love story for Janeway/Chakotay. Eventually, it was produced as an episode for Enterprise. I have done my best to make as little changes to the story and dialogue as possible, but have added my own twists here and there. I hope you enjoy it.
Relationships: Chakotay/Kathryn Janeway
Kudos: 24





	Twilight

Janeway awoke to the sound of weapons fire. Scrambling out of bed, she reached for her com badge and pressed it, “Janeway to the bridge,” silence, “Janeway to anyone on board, please respond,” silence. 

_What the hell is happening?_ She thought as another weapons blast rocked the ship, nearly knocking her off her feet. Quickly, she looked for her uniform but was unable to locate it, or any of her spare uniforms she kept on hand. _I’ll have to sort this out later._ Right now she needed to get to the bridge and see what was happening. 

Grabbing blouse and slacks, she hurriedly put them on along with a pair of socks and comfortable shoes before affixing her com badge to her shirt and headed for the door. The moment it opened, a hand reached out and placed it against her shoulder, stopping her momentum. Looking up, her eyes met Lieutenant Andrews. 

“I’m sorry ma’am, but you need to stay in your quarters,” he said evenly.

Was there a mutiny while she was asleep? “By whose authority?”

“The Captain’s.”

Her mind reeled for an instant and stepped back, attempting to understand what was happening. A surge of desperation struck, and she rushed forward, throwing every ounce of her body weight behind it and knocked him off his feet. Pushing back, she regained her bearings and ran toward the turbolift. Once inside, she turned around and saw Andrew’s running toward her as the doors closed. “Bridge.” She ordered and heard the lift immediately hum to life. 

An anxiety she’d rarely felt began to flow through her. Had someone relieved her of command? More importantly, how could it have been possible? The ship was too small for something like this to stay a secret, Tuvok surely would have learned of it at some point. Wouldn’t he? They had all been through too much together and the idea that any of the former maquis members of her crew would be planning something like this after so many years was ludicrous. And if this were the case, why would a Starfleet officer like Andrews be a part of it? It just didn’t make sense.

The doors swished open, smoke filling the bridge, sparks flew from consoles as the ship was struck again. Stumbling out, her hands reached for the rail behind the command well. She could see B'Elanna next to her as she worked the console, trying to be heard over the noise filling the bridge and noticed Chakotay stand up and turn to Harry. 

“What the hell is going on here?” She demanded, looking to Chakotay, feeling a deep sense of betrayal. 

His eyes wandered toward the sound and saw her gripping the rail, her expression showing hurt and anger, “Someone get her off the bridge! Now!” He ordered turning back toward the viewscreen.

Two security officers grasped her by each arm, her hands only gripped the rail tighter, refusing to let go and they tried to pull her back. Her eyes went from Chakotay to the view screen and she felt immediate fear and anguish. A Borg Cube, possibly the largest she’d ever seen, was firing on what looked like Earth. All motion seemed to stop at once, all eyes focused on the horrendous sight before them. A large green beam struck the planet, within seconds it began to glow under the strange green light before breaking apart. 

She had to be dreaming, this couldn’t be happening. They were nowhere near Earth, still thirty-thousand light-years away in the Delta quadrant. Her eyes scanned the room, no one moved, breathed even. Life just seemed to stop in an instant before Chakotay’s voice broke the silence.

“Hail Admiral Paris’s ship! Find out what he wants to do!” 

Harry shook his head, “The _Roanoke_ is gone Captain. More than half the fleet is gone. Captain Sherman of the _Endeavor_ is ordering a retreat.”

Chakotay took a few shaky steps toward him and placed his hand on the rail, “Any word from Starfleet Command?”

He shook his head again, “They’re all gone Captain,” he replied trying to hide his emotions, but his eyes were glistening, “We’re all that’s left.”

Chakotay gave a nod, and she couldn’t remember seeing him look more defeated than he did right now, “Acknowledge the order. Tom, set a course.”

She felt her head begin to swim. Nothing felt real anymore. Earth had been lost to the Borg. The next thing she knew, she was spiraling down a dark hole. Her knees gave way and surrendered to it. 

***

When Janeway opened her eyes, she was lying in a comfortable bed with sunlight streaming in through the windows. Confused, she sat up slowly, her eyes taking in her surroundings. She noticed a makeshift shelf standing against the wall with many of her mementos adorning the shelves. In the center was a framed picture of the bridge crew. 

She could remember the day it was taken; they were six years into their journey home. The Doctor had come up to the bridge with Seven and B’Elanna. He had arranged the time to capture a photo of what he considered his closest friends. They had all gathered for a series of shots, this had been the one he’d given her. A corner of the glass inside the frame had been chipped but couldn’t recall how it had happened.

Her confusion only heightened when she passed by a wall mirror during her explorations of the room, catching her reflections. She seemed to have grown older overnight. Her hair had streaks of white among her auburn locks and had grown down to her shoulders. Studying her face, she had a few more wrinkles than she used to, but couldn’t determine how much time had passed. What was happening? 

Hearing a rustling in the other room, she exited her current venue carefully, unsure and uncertain as to what new nightmare might await her. Around the corner, she saw the back of a man, he was preparing food. Sunlight filled the room through portholes, casting everything in a warm natural glow. 

“Hello?” She called out cautiously.

When he turned toward her holding a glass in his hand, she immediately recognized him: Chakotay. His hair had grown out, coming down to his shoulders with streaks of white standing in stark contrast to his usual solid black. His face looked a little more worn, older, like her own. 

“You’re up early,” he said placing the glass on the table next to a setting for two.

“Chakotay?” She said walking toward him, obvious confusion written across her features. 

Resting his hand on the back of the chair, he replied in a calm clear voice, speaking as though he’d spoken these words, or similar ones, hundreds if not thousands of times before, “I know this all seems unfamiliar. I promise I will explain everything. Have a seat, breakfast is almost ready,” he advised before going back to retrieve the rest of their breakfast.

Slowly, she continued to move forward, “Where are we?”

“Kathryn, please sit down. I will answer all of your questions,” he returned back to the table and began scooping out the scrambled eggs onto their plates. 

She didn’t like this, the feeling unfamiliarity. It was frightening and unsettling but didn’t allow it to play across her face and took the seat he offered.

“Today is a very important day,” he said taking the pan back to the cooking unit. Returning, he took the seat across from her, “I have a great deal to tell you. What’s the last thing you remember?”

She had to think, push away the feelings that were threatening to overwhelm her, “I was on in astrometrics reviewing long-range scans with Seven.”

“Do you remember what happened after you left astrometrics?”

Her mind whirled again, trying to remember clearly, “You and I were in a corridor, on our way to the bridge.”

He sighed and looked down at his plate for a moment, his arms resting on either side of his plate on the table. Finally, he rose his head and looked at her, his eyes showing just a touch of empathy and sadness, “This will be difficult for you to accept, but that was twelve years ago,” He saw the look of confusion give way to shock, just as it had every morning he had to repeat the information. 

Some days she would hide it well, appearing almost calm, but he could see the expression behind her eyes, shock eventually giving way to disbelief. He knew her well enough over the time they’d spent together that he couldn’t help but notice even if someone had been a witness to this daily routine might not.

“You passed out in the turbolift. I immediately advised Tuvok of the situation and took you to sickbay. The Doctor spent weeks trying to treat your condition with little success. It was something he’d never seen before, but there was no mistaking where it had come from, the Borg.”

She shook her head slowly, her brain trying to process what he was telling her, “What does the Borg have to do with any of this?”

“Do you remember when you, B’Elanna, and Tuvok, allowed yourself to become assimilated in order to infect the Borg with a virus to stop the Borg and protect Unimatrix Zero?” She nodded, “The Queen had you infected you with a neurolytic compound which interrupted some of your synaptic functions. They’re preventing you from forming any long-term memories. You can remember anything that happened before the infection but anything after fades within several hours.

“Commander Tuvok and I did our best to keep you updated on the Doctor’s progress, ship status, any alien species we’d encountered. Neelix would come to visit you often during the day, take you for walks around the ship, hoping that constantly exposing you to daily life on _Voyager_ might break though the synaptic block. But, by the end of the day, you’d already begun to forget.

“We would have our weekly dinners, and you would ask me how the crew were fairing, sometimes your memories of the day would begin to fade during the meal and this veil would kind of fall in front of your eyes. I’d seen it happen so many times by then it didn’t come as a surprise anymore.”

Her eyes were glistening, even though she tried hard not to show it, “I’m sure that must have been hard on you.”

Reaching out he took her hand, “Not as hard as it was on you, but we got through it.”

“Still,” she continued quietly, “it must have been difficult having to deal with the sudden shift in memory, not knowing precisely when or where it was going to happen. I imagine I had become more of a burden to everyone by then.”

“No,” he said squeezing her hand, “you were never a burden Kathryn.”

She met his eyes slowly, and she could see the smile reaching them, invoking a smile from her in return. There was something else lurking within the depth of his eyes, something he was trying to keep hidden. It was the hint of a feeling she hadn’t seen since they were sitting across the table from each other on New Earth. It made the air catch in her throat. The moment he noticed how uncomfortable she’d suddenly become; he released her hand. The smile that had come so naturally was erased, as if it had never been.

Picking up his fork, he gestured for her to do the same, “Go ahead and eat your breakfast while it’s still hot, and drink your coffee, you certainly can’t make it through the day without that,” he said the last part trying to bring a little levity to the situation, and out of politeness, she gave a half-smile and did as he requested, “Don’t worry, I’ll still answer all your questions. The rest will have to wait until after breakfast.”

Giving a nod, she took a bite of the scrambled eggs he’d made, which were fluffy and flavorful. Setting down the fork, she picked up the cup of coffee and brought it up to her nose for a whiff. It smelled like the real thing to her. Taking a sip, it tasted even better. She wondered briefly how he’d been able to get coffee out here in the Delta quadrant, that is if they were still there. Her mind was filled with questions, but she’d hold off on them for now until they’d finished breakfast. 

Raising her eyes to his face while he wasn’t looking, she couldn’t help but notice how tired he appeared. If it had been twelve years since she lost the ability to retain any new memories, had he been the one caring for her all this time? It was certainly possible, so far, she hadn’t noticed anyone else. Her heart went out to him, and for now, she would give him a few moments of peace.

*** 

They had moved into the living area to continue their conversation. Kathryn kept looking around the room, studying it for any clues, searching it for any familiarity and was finding none. 

“Come have a seat,” Chakotay suggested, “Finish your coffee and I’ll tell you more about what happened.”

She stared at him blankly for a moment, searching his face for any deception, but found none. He had the same friendly open expression he’d always shown her, one showing the marks of two people having shared a very close friendship. Taking the chair across from him, she picked up her coffee cup and prepared to listen.

He leaned forward slightly, looking a bit uncomfortable, “This is not something I look forward to telling you, but due to your condition, it became necessary to relieve you of your command. I began to run the ship in your stead, taking on the challenges you would have. I didn’t relish the opportunity, all of us would have kept you in charge if we could. It was one of the hardest decisions the command team had to make.”

Sighing, he hazards a gaze into her eyes, seeing stillness and focus, as if everything he was telling her didn’t seem quite real yet. He loved the way her mind worked, always searching for a solution to every puzzle, it was one of the things he found himself drawn to. That, and her capacity for understanding and compassion. Her proclivity for self-sacrifice and an unshakeable need for control over her little corner of the universe. Some of those things had been obscured as the years went on, but the core of who she has never wavered. 

“So, you became Captain,” she said softly, trying to keep her true feelings hidden, but he could see them in her eyes, “I suppose belated congratulations are in order.”

“It wasn’t like that Kathryn, you were ill, we had no cure-” He desperately tried to explain, this part of their daily routine never got easier with time, having to see that look of hurt in her eyes. He knew it would be there and should have been prepared for it, but it struck at his heart all the same, regardless of how valid the reasons for her removal was. _Voyager_ had become her life, and every soul aboard her until they were home. It was her personal mission from day one, and then to have some virus come along and take that away from her was gutting. 

She raised her hand in a stop gesture, and he did, “It’s alright Chakotay. Everyone did what they had to in order to move forward, I understand that. I don’t begrudge you or anyone for having to make that decision,” then she took a breath and continued, her posture instantly reflecting a certain level of acceptance. “I’m guessing the compound used to release the virus wasn’t so easy to cure after all.” 

He nodded, still feeling horrible, remembering how agonizing the decision was. Even then he didn’t want to do it, knowing it was necessary, “The Doctor discovered that the compound used to spread the virus came from a domain outside normal space-time. It exists in a state of interspacial flux. Your immune system would fight off the virus that was causing the interruption to your synaptic patterns, but the compound releasing the virus would reassert itself and release a variant strain after several hours. None of his treatments had any effect on it.”

She looked down into her cup, and one thought rose above the rest, “What about our primary mission? Did you get _Voyager_ home?”

He didn’t want to answer that question just yet, to do so would be like reading the last chapter of a book before going back to read the beginning. There was just too much information she had to understand first before he could answer that question, “After many months of searching for a way home, we came across a Borg transwarp hub hidden inside a nebula. There were hundreds of cubes inside. At the time, we weren’t aware if the Borg were aware of our presence or not, so we backtracked and avoided the area. 

“Seven had information about the hub she’d retained from her time as a member of the collective. She believed we could use the hub in order to get _Voyager_ home and took a page out of one of your old rulebooks, diplomacy. She believed she could make a deal with the collective as you did during their battle with species 8472.”

“I hope you tried to talk her out of it,” She said concerned, Seven had been like the child she’d never had. 

“Yes, but that didn’t stop her. She stole the _Delta Flyer_ and returned to the nebula. We went after her of course, by the time we arrived, she had already struck a deal with the Queen.”

Kathryn sat very still, wondering, hoping, the deal was not what she was thinking, “What accord had been reached?”

Chakotay didn’t relish the answer, knowing it would upset her, as it did every time he brought it up, “She gave herself over to the Queen willingly, as long as it meant _Voyager_ would not be harmed and taken back to the Alpha quadrant via the transwarp hub.”

A volatile rush of emotions overwhelmed her. Suddenly she stood up and threw the coffee cup across the room, causing it to shatter against the wall, its remnants splashed across the wall and floor, “Why didn’t you stop her!” She was fuming, anguished, and feeling an immediate sense of loss, although this had happened twelve years ago by his perspective, for her, this was new information, “How could you let it happen?”

“We didn’t allow it to happen, it happened without our consent. We would never have agreed to Seven’s plan, but she was determined to make the deal work because of her affection for you. She thought by being there she could uncover more information about the compound infecting you and relay that information to the Doctor so he could develop a cure.

“Your affliction affected her deeply, she looked up to you, saw you as a role model, and the person she often turned to at times of extreme doubt and indecision who was no longer in a position to be there for her as you used to. She became obsessed when the Doctor’s research slowed down, unable to find anything that would take him in a new direction, so she picked up where he left off. Unwilling to let it lie, spending every free moment dedicating herself to finding a solution when she wasn’t spending time visiting you.”

She stopped, forcing back the tears threatening to spill over and stared out the window from across the room, her arms crossed. “So, I assume the Queen was pleased with Seven’s offer?”

“Yes, the Borg tractored our ship into the transwarp conduit and took us all the way back to Earth, but she was never able to provide any information she’d hoped to find about a cure for you,” he answered painfully, seeing how much the knowledge hurt, how the knowledge left an indelible impression on her every morning he relayed it. He was tired of inflicting this kind of mental damage on her, wishing there was a way he could make it stop. 

He had considered making up a different scenario once, but quickly realized that to do so would be dishonest, and that was the last thing he ever wanted to be with her. He cared about her too much to lie to her even if the truth was intolerably painful. What he had to tell her next would only wound her further, but she had to know, he couldn’t keep it a secret forever as much as he would have liked to. 

“The Borg cube left us near the Alpha quadrant. It took a little over two days to reach Earth, and we were welcomed home. I was even granted a field commission as Captain by Admiral Paris once he learned what your condition was. We never actually got the chance to transport to the surface. The Pathfinder station had detected a Borg cube heading toward Sector 001 and relayed the information to Starfleet Command. We were ordered to stay in orbit and help in the preparation of defending Earth. Every Federation ship was recalled, nearly the entire fleet arrived before the Cube did.”

He stopped, wondering if he should amend the additional information or just tell her. Then remembered what the Doctor had planned, and if it worked, he would never have to repeat the information again, “They didn’t take a straight path, stopping to destroy every space station, outpost, colony, or planet that held human life signs before obliterating Earth.”

Kathryn bent over, thinking she might be sick and clasped her knees feeling as though she had been punched in the gut, tears falling freely from her eyes. 

“It was the largest cube anyone had ever seen. More powerful than anyone could have imagined. We tried to stop them, but we were like ants trying to stop an aardvark. More than half the fleet was destroyed in a matter of minutes, those of us who were left had to choose retreat. They continued their path of destruction, destroying any nook or cranny humans had been flourishing.”

Forcing herself to straighten, she wiped at her eyes and took a deep breath before asking, “How many of us are left?”

The hits only kept coming, and he was thankful that this might be the last time he would have to inflict this damage on her. It was the only way he could force himself to get through it again without trying to downplay it, “Best guess? Maybe ten-thousand.”

“No,” she cried out softly, bending forward again, her hand reaching out and grasping the back of the chair she’d been sitting in. She turned her head and looked to see him trying to hold onto a semblance of control. Hers was an open book, unable to be hidden in the face of such horrific knowledge, despair. She needed air, to get out of this room and headed for the door. Opening the huge rectangular hatch, she stumbled outside and turned around to get a look at her surroundings. 

Every structure looked as though it had been pieced together instead of constructed. It was then that everything Chakotay told her hit her all at once and fell to her knees. Her fingers digging into the dirt beneath her hands, dry and baron. Tears wetting the ground beneath her as she let out heart-wrenching sobs. Earth was gone, her mother, sister, everyone she’d ever tried to get back to had been wiped out of existence within a few unimaginable seconds, and it didn’t stop there. Humans, for all intents and purposes, had been wiped out of existence except for what seemed like a handful of refugees in comparison to the great scheme of things. Every hope she clung to had been lost on a single breath. It was the beginning of the end, the twilight of human existence in the known universe, and she wept for them all.

***

Chakotay stood in the doorway, letting her grieve for all the losses she’d learned about in such a short time. He knew she would eventually reach this point, and it had taken longer for her to get there than initially anticipated. He would have tried to console her, but instances in the past had warned him off such displays of comfort. It was better in the long run just to let her be and keep an eye on her.

One time many months ago when they had been particularly close, she openly showing her affection for him, he had told her the story of how they came to be here. She had broken down, like now. Forgetting himself, he went to her in a familiar way she had no memory of at the time. The terror and hurt in her eyes when she began pushing away from him was like a knife to his heart. He let her go, and she ran. It took nine hours to locate her with help from their neighbors, by then her memory of the previous events had faded. The way she looked at him when he brought her home felt like a lie, one he was forced to constantly relive. 

When her tears slowed and found the strength to get herself back under control, she pushed herself up to her feet. She still seemed unsteady, as if her legs were being pulled down by some invisible weight. Her hands found the waist-high rock wall in front of her and leaned forward against it. In a shaky voice, she asked, “Where are we?”

“We’re on the fifth planet in the Ceti Alpha system. Far from the Sol System,” her body tensed momentarily when revealed how far they were from Earth. Even though he had chosen his words carefully in order to lessen the blow, she wasn’t immune to what it implied.

“What happened to the crew?” She asked, still not turning around.

“Most of them are still aboard _Voyager_ ,” instantly he saw relief in her body language as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders, “They’re still in orbit, patrolling this system.”

She turned her face toward him slightly, a brief smile on her lips before she turned away again, another question entered her mind, “How did…all these people get here?” She asked and allowed herself to stand under her own power, a small part of her attempting to divert the subject, not change it, and turned toward him again.

“Human survivors realized they needed a place to take refuge. Several convoys headed for this system. One of them was led by _Voyager_.”

“Surely there was something I could have done to help. Worked in the science lab, engineering, astrometrics.”

“Kathryn,” he said gently, “We tried that, it was uncomfortable for you.”

“So, I’ve been locked up in my quarters or on this planet and contributed nothing,” she stated in a sudden burst of anger. 

He knew her feelings were misdirected; it was something he’d grown used to. He couldn’t imagine having to endure what she had, forgetting each day and having to start over. Waking up each morning or in the middle of the night confused and frightened by unfamiliar surroundings. Seeing someone you knew, shared a bond with, growing older each day without any obvious explanation as to how it happened. 

The years certainly hadn’t been easy on either of them, for different reasons. Seeing a woman, you care deeply for, learning more about each day and sharing your own life’s experiences with only for her to forget all of it. Sometimes, before the evening had ended. He had grown closer to her over the years, much closer than she had to him. It felt as though the universe was having a laugh at his expense. 

“You provided a service Kathryn, a compassionate ear to anyone who needed one. And you were not locked up in your quarters or on this planet. You’re free to take walks, which you often did on _Voyager_. Visited with the crew, had breakfast and lunch in the messhall. Offered your expertise and advice when you felt comfortable enough to do so. You contributed, more than you know.”

The admission diffused some of her misplaced anger, but none of her frustration. She couldn’t fathom having done this for twelve years. The things she must have learned over that time only to be forgotten several hours later. What new insights had she gained? What had she learned about Chakotay during their time together? What had she told him about herself that she couldn’t remember? So many years of memories lost, it’s as if she hadn’t been alive since she passed out in the turbolift, much less for twelve years.

This time when she spoke again, her intention was to change the subject, unwilling to linger on this line of thought any longer, “What happened to the convoys?”

He paused, allowing his overworked and tired brain to make the appropriate switch in topic before replying. Her thoughts may have been running a kilometer per second but his certainly wasn't, “Ours was the only convoy to reach this place. The others had been destroyed by the Borg.”

She recoiled slightly, as if she’d been slapped, “I assume that’s when the colony was created?”

“Yes, and when I resigned my commission. I turned command over to Tuvok.”

She appeared stunned by the admission, “Why?”

“Because you needed a caregiver. Who better than someone you were already comfortable with? Someone you knew, and who knew you well,” he answered plainly, as if the choice had been completely obvious.

“You didn’t have to do that,” she said quietly.

“I know, but I wasn’t going to let you go through this with someone you didn’t know or didn’t know you. You were already suffering enough, if there was anything, I could do to help lessen the burden you carried I wasn’t prepared to let you suffer it alone.”

Her head fell forward slightly, her hands clasped behind her back. She’d gotten the impression there was more to what he was saying but wasn’t prepared to put him on the spot, allowing the moment to breathe and settle. “How were the structures assembled?” She asked finally, raising her eyes to his.

“The civilian ships were dissembled for their components and raw materials. We used them to construct the settlement.” 

She moved past him and back into the shelter, taking a closer look at the construction. He followed her back into the room and closed the door behind them. Leaning against the hatch for a moment, he watched as she studied her surroundings carefully and couldn’t help but smile. Her eyes finally met his and seemed confused by the expression.

“What?” She asked, giving a slight smile of her own.

“I was just thinking how this is usually the part of our conversation where you wonder if you’re the victim of some elaborate deception.”

Sometimes she’d forgotten how well he did know her, “The thought did cross my mind,” she replied as the smile still lingered on her lips, allowing her hand to stroke the back of the chair she’d been sitting in earlier. The look on her face evident that she wasn’t entirely sure that it wasn’t.

“Justin Tighe. You met him while serving under Admiral Owen Paris. He was a member of the science team on the _Icarus_ on the Arias Expedition. He was also a member of the Rangers, an elite squad of Starfleet personnel who were secretly part of the mission so that they could gather intelligence on the Cardassian military. You thought he was one of the most frustrating men you’d ever met.

“Six months into the mission, you and Admiral Paris were captured by the Cardassians. Within a short time, the group of Rangers, led by Tighe, rescued the two of you. As you both left the compound, Tighe tripped on a root and broke his ankle. You stopped to help him and together, you both were able to survive the attack of a Toskanar dog and a Cardassian soldier long enough to be transported away.

“When you asked him why he risked his life to save you, after having already been captured by the Cardassians once and tortured for three days. He told you that it didn’t matter what the risks were, all he knew was that he wasn’t going to allow them to hurt you. That was the moment you realized you had begun to fall in love with him.”

Her face had fallen during his recitation. Taking a few steps toward him she demanded, “How in the hell do you know that?”

“Our relationship has evolved over the years,” he replied simply and crossed over to the sofa and retook his seat from earlier, all the while her eyes following his movements.

“Exactly…how far has it evolved?” She asked, not entirely certain if she wanted to know the answer. 

He said nothing, looking straight ahead, the muscles in his jaw flexed, his body language began to fill the space with a type of tension she hadn’t seen before. Finally, he looked to her and said, “You should get changed out of your bedclothes. The Doctor will be here soon.”

*** 

Kathryn sat in the chair as the Doctor finished his scans, her eyes never leaving Chakotay’s face. He had maintained silence concerning any repeated questions about the evolution of their relationship over the years, which only gave her the impression that something must have happened between them during their time together, the extent of what that might be was a detail he refused to disclose. 

“Nothing seems to have changed since your last exam.” The Doctor said closing his tricorder.

Chakotay had told her that the Doctor had been spending a lot of time with the Denobalians in this sector, they had advanced medical facilities and were willing to allow him their use in order to continue his research. 

“Is that the reason why you came all the way from Denobula? To give me a checkup?” She asked.

The Doctor looks to Chakotay, somewhat exasperated, “You didn’t tell her?” His response was a shake of his head. Sighing, he looked back to Kathryn and began to explain, “After the settlement was established, it became clear that I was never going to find a treatment for your condition if I remained here, so _Voyager_ made contact with the Denobalians. They allowed me to come to their world where I was able to consult with some of their finest neurosurgeons and quantum theorists. My new colleagues believed that there was no way to destroy the compound short of vaporizing you in a subspace implosion. They assured me that the technology to do what was required did not exist, that I would have to seek out the Borg, which I couldn’t for obvious reasons. 

“They were unfortunately correct. It took almost a decade to develop, but now I’m ready to put it to the test. The procedure requires tremendous amounts of energy, levels that can only be produced in the reactor of a warp-core,” he finished. 

“We’re going to _Voyager_ ,” Chakotay added.

***

In so many ways that felt extremely real and present, when she stepped out of the shuttle and into the bay, she felt she’d never left. However, the bay had seen better days. Stepping out into the corridor, there were many familiar faces she recognized, and couldn’t help the smile forming on her lips as B’Elanna stepped up to greet her. 

“It is good to see you, Captain,” she greeted.

She stepped forward and hugged her, beaming with pride, “Captain Torres,” giving her a final squeeze she pulled back but still rested her hands on her upper shoulders, “I don’t think you need to call me Captain anymore.”

“Old habit,” she replied with a grin, “I apologize for the low lightening. We’re running on reserve power. Antimatter is running at a premium these days.”

Releasing her she asked, “How long has it been since you took command? I thought Tuvok was currently Captain?”

“I’ve been in charge for seven years, Tuvok took command of the _Titan_ after Captain Riker's death,” she said trying to gloss over the last part, “I have some people here that would like to say hello,” raising an arm she gestured to the others behind her in the corridor. 

The first person she saw was Harry Kim, he looked so much older than she remembered, as did B’Elanna. She looked at his collar and noticed the Commander bars, “I see you finally got a few promotions under your belt,” she said with a playful smile.

He returned it, “Yes Ma’am.”

“Actually, he’s just been promoted to Captain,” B’Elanna continued from over her shoulder, “He’s taking over command of the _Endeavor_ from Sherman.”

She laughed uncomfortably, the changes overwhelming, “Did everyone get their own ship while I was gone?”

“Not everyone Captain,” Naomi Wildman said stepping forward.

“Naomi?” She asked, almost unable to believe that this girl was now a young woman and took her into her arms, eyes glistening.

“There’s a reception in the mess hall,” Harry said, “If you’re feeling up to it.”

She pulled back and turned to him as she tried to hide the tears which had formed in her eyes. 

“A visit to engineering may be in order first,” The Doctor interjected kindly.

She nodded, as she allowed herself to be escorted to the turbolift by the Doctor and Chakotay. Once they were inside, she asked, “I didn’t see Tom. Has he also been promoted?”

The two men fell silent for a moment. Sensing Chakotay’s reluctance to answer, the Doctor volunteered, “I’m afraid Mister Paris died eight years ago during a conflict with the Ferasan Empire over a misunderstanding,” he explained gently.

Her face fell, knowing that B’Elanna must have been devastated.

Seeing sadness creeping into her eyes, he couldn’t help appreciating Chakotay’s position. He found it difficult telling his former Captain about a former crewmember and good friends’ death. The man next to him had to tell her everyday about so many horrible things leading up to where they were now. A lesser man might have had a mental breakdown under that kind of pressure, “You were a very important part of Captain Torres’s healing process. The two of you talked often.”

Obviously, she couldn’t remember it, and that alone made her feel worse. Giving a nod, she turned and faced the turbolift doors, unable to bring herself to discuss anything further. 

Once they got to engineering, the three headed inside and the Doctor began to explain the procedure in more detail, “I’ll be using a highly focused antiproton beam to eradicate the compound.” Pointing to a scan of her brain on the monitor, she could see that the compound wasn’t just one large piece as she thought, it was broken up into several clusters, “We’ll start with this cluster today.”

“This might seem like a silly question Doctor,” she began, “But why not remove all of them at once?”

“Not at all,” he replied with a smile, “This procedure has never been attempted before. I believe it would be wise to move cautiously,” and she nodded.

“When can you begin?” Chakotay asked.

“The emitters should be calibrated within the hour,” he advised, “Quarters have been arranged for you onboard, I suggest you go and rest before we get started.” 

Chakotay gave her a wink and a nod to show support and encouragement. He could see this was all a little overwhelming for her. 

“Alright,” she agreed.

“Commander Andrews will escort you to the reception if you’re up to it,” the Doctor said, gesturing toward him. 

She looked to him, his eyes kind, “If you’ll follow me, Captain,” he said and began walking away. 

When Chakotay stepped up behind her, without thought, she reached out and clasped his hand and took a breath. She didn’t let go of his hand the entire way.

***

Sitting on the sofa in her temporary quarters, the door chime sounded. Giving entry, Chakotay entered and took the seat across from her. 

“You left the reception early.”

“It was…a little disturbing,” He could tell she was unnerved and offered a smile, “From my perspective, I saw most of those people just a few hours ago,” she clasped her hands together nervously. Chakotay reached out and placed his hand on top of them, a gesture of support and comfort which didn’t go unnoticed or unappreciated, “It couldn’t have been easy for you. Telling me the same story over and over again for twelve years.”

He gave her a gentle smile, “I don’t always tell it in detail.”

She felt him pull his hand away, but she grasped it like a lifeline, unwilling to let go, “I hope I’ve told you this before, but…I’m very grateful for everything you’ve done for me,” She noticed how his eyes dropped down to their clasped hands, unable to keep eye contact any longer. There were so many feelings she had for him, feelings she’d kept bottled up and hidden because of duty and protocol. Right now, all that seemed to be well behind them, “If this works-”

_“Doctor to Captain Janeway.”_

There was a long pause and Chakotay’s eyes met hers, and what he saw in them was a silent promise they’d made years ago before all this happened, that if she were no longer his commanding officer…

She tapped her com badge, “This is Janeway. Go ahead.”

_“We’re ready.”_

***

“I’m picking up a tritainum signature, it’s hiding close to the son,” Commander Andrews stated.

“Is it a ship?” Torres asked.

“I think so, Captain.”

She nodded, “Let’s go check it out. Helm, set a course.”

***

Janeway lay in the chamber the Doctor built for the procedure. Three beams were aimed at one specific portion of her head. Chakotay stood with his hand resting on the chamber locking eyes with her, showing his support. He was worried, looking to the Doctor as he and their current chief engineer Vorik, monitored the power output. 

“Increase to eight-hundred milicochranes,” the Doctor instructed and watched the monitor for any changes in the compound they were targeting, nothing happened, “Increase to eight-hundred fifty.”

Kathryn looked to be in pain, and he wanted to reach inside and take her hand, let her know that he understood how frightening the experience must be, how uncertain the outcome was. She was taking a huge risk by going through with the experimental treatment. 

As the Doctor continued to watch the monitor for any sign, he saw the targeted section phase out of existence. Giving a smile, he nodded to Vorik, indicating he shut down the power. He acknowledged the order and took appropriate action. Moving back to the pod, the Doctor opened it. He and Chakotay disconnected her from the headpiece and restraints that were keeping her still during the procedure. She had passed out from the pain. One of the engineers got a transfer board and helped load her onto it so they could take her to sickbay.

***

“There’s a small vessel, just outside the chromosphere,” Andrews advised, as they reached the sun.

“Who is it?” Torres asked.

“The hull configuration doesn’t match anything within our database,” he answered, tapping the controls, “but there is one bio-sign on board.”

She gave a nod and stood up, “Open a channel,” moving toward the view screen she said, “This is Captain B’Elanna Torres. Is there something we can help you with?”

No response.

“They’re moving,” Andrews advised. 

“Follow him,” Torres ordered and retook her seat.

“He’s about to jump to warp.”

“Target one of his nacelles,” Andrews fired, disabling it and stopping his ability to go to jump, “Bring them into the shuttle bay,” She ordered as she stood up and headed for the turbolift, Andrews followed.

***

“Just as I predicted,” the Doctor said looking extremely pleased, “There is no trace of the compound I targeted.”

Chakotay moved over to another monitor and began looking over the data for himself.

“I understand that I may have a passenger on my voyage back to Denobula,” he said.

“I’m returning to the settlement for the time being. She may need my help during her recovery.”

The Doctor knew it was more than that, “Have you told the Captain how you feel about her?” He turned toward him and stared at him in silence, “I take it by your silence that’s a no. So, are you at least going to tell her about the son you had together?”

He was suddenly defensive, angry, “Hasn’t she suffered enough? She has no memory of him, and thankfully she never will. At least I can spare her the knowledge of his death.”

“And what about you?” the Doctor said kindly, “I can only imagine what it must have been like to have to deal with his sickness and hers. Having to explain who the boy was every day and dealing with her reaction to it. You spent so many years together in that house learning so much about each other, sharing a life together, a family, and yet she remembers nothing about you or him beyond the day she became ill.”

Chakotay was starring daggers into his eyes, too angry to speak, “If we are successful,” the Doctor continued, “perhaps things will be different,” and smiled kindly.

He couldn’t return it; an indescribable pain erupted in his heart. He wasn’t willing to discuss this and was rightly angered that he’d even brought it up as he turned back toward the monitor. Noah had been his little light in the darkness. He loved that boy as much as he loved her and would never abandon either of them under any circumstances, regardless of how hard it ultimately became. 

She didn’t remember the afternoon lovemaking session that had brought him into existence nearly ten years ago. It was a rare moment of complete openness and vulnerability on her part. He had told her honestly how he felt, and she came to the realization that neither of them was Starfleet officers any longer and could show their feelings for the other openly. 

She had initiated their lovemaking, and he could have stopped it, but after so many years of wanting, waiting for her to return those feelings overrode his better judgment. He had given in to desire, and out of that came a precious gift: Noah. The Doctor had made several trips between his research on Denobula to give her monthly exams, making sure she and the baby were progressing normally. He had even been the one who delivered him into the world. 

Once her pregnancy progressed beyond the point where it was obvious, she had been stunned by the discovery every time her memories faded. At times, in her anger and confusion, she had accused him of taking advantage of her. The accusations were painful, but he took them in stride. He understood, as best as one can understand living with someone who’s memories faded like the light from the sky every day, that she was trying to make sense of what was happening to her. 

It wasn’t just what she couldn’t remember, the widening and alarming gaps in time, but what she could. Not wanting to admit that any part of her had possibly shown weakness and given in to long-suppressed desires. Then there were the moments when she could be tender, loving, caring. Telling him that she needed him to stay with her and that no matter how hard things got, he had to persevere for the sake of their child. He told her he would have done so regardless, that there wasn’t anything short of his death that could keep him from them. She had been relieved and pleased with his response.

The night she went into labor was one of terror, confusion, and panic. She had no idea what was happening to her, only knowing that she was being pulled from sleep by an insistent pain in her abdomen. The Doctor had stayed with them and had them taken up to Voyager’s sickbay, knowing she would be going into labor at any time. She was taken further off her game when he suddenly entered the room from his office after hearing her moaning. 

Chakotay had been awoken the moment the lights went to full and saw the look in her eyes. They were wild with disorientation, alarm, and shock, but at least the surroundings were familiar even if she didn’t understand how she’d gotten there or what exactly was happening to her. 

The Doctor had given her a mild sedative, just to calm her down so they could explain the situation and she wouldn’t struggle, risking injury to herself or the baby. It had taken some time to calm her, advising they would explain everything later, but that she needed to focus on delivering her baby for now. Reluctantly she agreed, and as the hours passed, felt the best way to control the situation was to lie, stating that her loss of memory was temporary and that the Doctor hadn’t been able to provide the cure because he was concerned about how it might affect the baby. He hated himself, especially seeing the implicit trust she showed in him. 

She had made the association on her own that the baby was his, even though he never hinted at it, uncertain as to how she would react to the knowledge. To her, it seemed to be the only explanation as to who’s baby, she was in fact, carrying. He was the only person on board who she would have even considered the possibility with, not quite understanding why she would have allowed it to happen but expected that the knowledge would return with the cure he promised. Of course, there was no cure, and she had gone to sleep later that evening thinking there would be, only to reawaken later with no knowledge of having given birth and being told about and presented with a newborn she was told was hers. 

Days passed, and he began making recordings of her with the baby, so she could tell herself every morning that the baby was hers and Chakotay’s. It made some things easier. She would also give herself an abridged version of how they ended up in this colony. He could hear her cry, get angry as she watched the video that would play itself automatically the moment she got out of bed every morning, before coming into the living area to see him sitting there holding their child and feeding him his morning bottle from the breast milk she had expressed the night before. 

Life had become predictable in its way. The morning ritual continuing until the day after their son had been buried. He was all of three years old when the virus took him. One which had been passed on from the moment of his birth. It hadn’t affected him the way it did her, he still had his memories but suffered from an immunodeficiency the Doctor could never cure, only treat. He had been susceptible to every virus and bacteria which came his way, keeping him sick, always. Eventually, he went to sleep one night and never woke up. 

Once he was gone, he took away every recording she had ever made of herself with him and Noah and stored it in a safe place, taking away the pain of his passing, at least for her. He would have to live with it for the rest of his life and decided it was better to go back to the way he used to do things. Having to advise her every day how they got here, mostly in an abridged version. Her seeing a pain and saddens in his eyes he would never explain, it put a barrier between them for a while until the major part of his grieving process had ended, and he was able to go on without indication that there was something more to what he was telling her, something more recent and closer to home. 

Six years had passed since his death, and if the Doctor’s treatment was able to cure her, he would have to revisit his memories of Noah and show her the son she couldn’t remember. As much as he didn’t want to, and how painful it would be to actively remember, it would be wrong to continually deny her the truth. He had existed, and they had both loved him, and he deserved to be remembered. 

***

The alien B’Elanna and Andrews had taken to the brig looked like a large mouse, kind of cute, cagey, but appeared harmless. However, she’d been around the block enough times to know that looks were often deceiving. They hadn’t had the power in years to keep force fields in place except in emergencies. It was then she designed and had built a set of bars over the entrance, and a single barred door with a hidden locking mechanism in case the ship had ever been boarded and any of the crew had been placed here. 

She was standing near the door, arms crossed. Andrews, her first officer, was standing next to her but a meter away. The alien was pacing within the small space they’d provided based on their proximity.

“I deal in Rigelian Flamegems,” he tried to explain, playing the innocent and mild annoyance card, “I was waiting for a prospective buyer when you attacked me.”

“You picked an odd place for a business transaction,” B’Elanna stated staying stationary, her eyes watching him like a hawk. He was feeling intimidated, which is exactly where she wanted him.

“We searched your ship,” Andrews said raising his voice, it was their bad cop worse cop routine, one that often got them results, “We didn’t find any cargo.”

“That’s because I jettisoned it all,” he defended, “I thought you were going to arrest me. Flamegems are illegal in this region.”

“We eventually found your species in our database. It appears Yridians are information dealers,” Andrews replied, taking a step forward along with B’Elanna, making him feel boxed in. 

“Who hired you?” B’Elanna demanded.

He remained silent, pretending, not very well mind you, that he had no idea what she was inferring. 

“Maybe we didn’t give his ship a close enough look,” she commented to Andrews, “Go back to the shuttle bay. Use a cutting torch and slice that ship into neat little pieces. Keep at it until you find some evidence that supports his story,” she ordered, never taking her eyes off the alien. 

He became indignant, “You’re going to destroy my ship?” Silence was her response. Andrews moved to leave when he reached out as if that alone had the power to stop his momentum, but he did, and then turned toward him when he shouted out, “It’s not you they want,” then continued quietly, “It’s your Doctor.”

B’Elanna scoffed, “Our Doctor?”

The alien bowed his head in submission, “I was hired to follow him.”

Rushing forward, she grabbed him by the collar and shoved him hard against the bulkhead, “HIRED BY WHO?” she nearly screamed in his face. 

“I don’t know!” He replied quickly, his voice pleading, “They work through intermediaries. I was paid to follow the Doctor. If he left Denobula again.”

“What did you tell them?” She demanded, raising him off the ground by his jacket, his feet no longer touching the floor. She may look older, petite, but she had the strength of any Klingon warrior. He didn’t say anything, terror, in his eyes when he no longer felt the deck beneath his feet, “Answer me!”

“Alright!” He acquiesced, the mission wasn’t worth losing his ship or life over.

***

The Doctor and Chakotay were anxious to finally see B’Elanna enter sickbay at their behest. The Doctor had found a discrepancy in his readings, and when he went back to engineering to adjust the pod and prepare it for another treatment, he had been refused entry.

“What’s the problem?” She asked, looking to be in no mood for conversation.

“Your engineers would let us continue with the Captain’s treatment,” the Doctor answered, sounding slightly annoyed and aggressive in his tone.

She sighed, nowhere close in the mood for this, “Those were my orders. Look, I’d do anything to help the Captain, but we’ve got bigger problems at the moment.”

“This may be the _only_ solution to your problems, Captain,” he argued.

“Destroying the compound and eliminating the virus is most likely the key to saving humanity and Earth,” Chakotay cut in, trying to appeal to her as one of his oldest friends, urging her through his tone to remember what it was like when they served together in the maquis and all they had was each other. A small group of souls sharing a common goal against incredible odds.

“Earth’s gone,” She spat out, unwilling to listen to what either of them was trying to say. She had a real threat on her hands that needed her attention, one that could not only destroy her ship but the entire fleet and the colony. Wiping out the last of humanity for good.

The Doctor moved over to the monitor, recalling the most recent image of Captain Janeway’s brain scan, “This image was taken a few minutes ago. You can see the region where I eradicated the first cluster of the compound producing the virus?” He said pointing to it. Rolling her eyes in frustration she crossed her arms and looked at the image, then he called up another, “It’s gone in this image as well,” he pointed out, making certain she noticed the stardate, “This scan was taken over twelve years ago. The cluster has disappeared from all the scans I have taken over the last twelve years. It’s as though it never existed.”

B’Elanna looked perplexed as Chakotay took over the explanation, “By destroying the compound in the present, we appear to have neutralized them in the past.”

“We know it’s from another spatial domain, created or discovered by the Borg,” the Doctor said, “Apparently, it also exists outside of time. If we can eliminate all of the compounds, it’s possible the Captain’s infection will never have occurred.”

“History may be altered,” Chakotay broke in again, trying to emphasize the importance of the discovery, “Captain Janeway will have remained in command of _Voyager_. Our mission to reach the Alpha quadrant could have an entirely different outcome and we might not have entered that nebula, to begin with.”

“We only have to divert power for a few hours,” the Doctor pleaded, “I am certain I can complete the procedure in that time.”

As much as she wanted to help, she had to deal with a very real danger in the present, not a theory that could or could not be true. Besides, they were coming, and they might not even have a few hours left to them. This was their best chance for immediate survival, “I’m sorry. We need all the power we’ve got for the weapons.”

“Why won’t you listen to us?” Chakotay questioned, perplexed by her behavior.

“Because a group of races are on their way here. They know what the Borg did, and they know they’re still searching for the last remnants of humanity. They learned that the Doctor was on Denobula, and they hired someone to follow him should he ever leave the planet again after his return six years ago. Apparently, like the Borg, they want to see humanity extinguished but not for the same reasons. They’ve formed a coalition of Breen, Cardassians, Romulans, Klingon’s, you named it, who feel the same, who have had to hide their existence from the Borg in order not to be noticed. They’re tired of hiding, they want them to disappear, and once the Borg are satisfied that we’re all extinct, they believe they’ll recall all their vessels and leave the Alpha quadrant.”

“If there are so many races joining forces, preparing to annihilate us, there is very little we can do to stop them,” he pointed out.

“We can’t just run up a white flag,” she replied determined. 

Her com badge chirped, the voice of her first officer coming though, _“Captain Torres, you’d better get up here sir.”_

She tapped her com badge to open the connection, “I’m on my way,” before looking at them both, “We’ll talk about this later,” and hurriedly left the room. 

Both watched her go, feeling deeply frustrated with her response.

***

Entering the bridge, B’Elanna sees her first officer who’s stationed at tactical, but it is her ops officer Lieutenant Noah Lessing who begins to speak, “I’m getting a signal from one of our sentry probes. Six ships have entered the system.”

She moves to stand near his station, “What kind of ships?”

“I’m seeing Breen, Cardassian, Romulan, Klingon, Ferasan, and Tholian.”

“Is that all?” She replies sarcastically, but her crew knows she’s just as frustrated and scared as the rest of them. To Andrews she orders, “Charge phaser banks,” moving closer to him she asks quietly, “Is everyone in position?” 

He checks his console for confirmation then looks up at her, “Aye, sir,” his console beeps at him, checking again he says, the hostile ships are in range.”

“Fire!”

The ship also rocks at the same moment, “Our shields are holding. Nice to know they work in combat,” Andrews comments.

Moving to the helm, she looks over the shoulder of Naomi Wildman and quips, “Remind me to send a thank you note to General Shran,” before giving the young woman new orders, “Adjust your heading. 3-1-0 mark 27, full impulse.”

“Two of their ships are breaking off,” Lessing announces, “They’re following us.”

“What about the others?” B’Elanna asks.

“Still heading toward the planet.”

She nods as they move around the moon. Two Federation ships are waiting, the _Endeavor_ and the _Sun Tzu_. They fire at the two ships coming toward them in the ambush, “The Breen ship has been damaged and they’re losing power,” Andrews states.

“Fire at the Ferasan ship.” B’Elanna orders.

Andrews began to access the firing solution as they fly between the two Federation ships. Once he finds it, he fires on them, “Their engines are disabled.”

“The other four ships have changed their heading,” Lessing announces.

Moving back to her chair silently in thought, B’Elanna sits before looking to Andrews and comments, “I think we’re about to find out how much of a beating our new Denobulian shields can take,” and prepares herself for the incoming attack.

***

The ship begins to rock from a weapons blast. Anything sitting loose in sickbay falls to the floor.

“Chakotay?” Kathryn calls from the biobed as she pushes herself up, looking a little unsteady on her feet, “What’s happening?”

Chakotay begins to move toward her, “Kathryn, you need to rest,” and takes her by the shoulders, trying to move her back to the bed but refuses, pulling away, 

“Where are you going?”

“To the bridge. I’m not going to just lie here while they destroy what’s left of humanity,” Pushing him back with more force, he stumbles back a couple of steps and she runs out of sickbay.

Turning toward the Doctor he says, “Stay here,” before taking off after her.

***

The battle continues to rage outside the confines of _Voyager_ every ship left in their fleet has now ensued in the battle. A blast erupts from _Voyager’s_ port nacelle.

“Forward shielding is at fifty-two percent,” Andrews says.

Kathryn reaches a turbo lift, but it won’t open, Chakotay just behind her. She smacks the door with her hand, “Great, turbolifts are down,” she comments before taking off running again with Chakotay in tow. Making her way to the Jefferies tube, she begins to climb the ladder with him following. 

“The _Titan_ has taken a direct hit. They’ve lost their port nacelle,” Lessing advises. 

“Tell them to withdraw,” B’Elanna orders.

Several more blasts rock the ship, sparks began flying from consoles around them, “Our phasers are down,” Andrews calls out, “And our forward shields are collapsing!”

“Hull breaches on decks six and seven!” Lessing instructs.

Sparks continue to fly around them.

“They’re targeting the bridge!” Andrews shouts.

“Hard to port,” B’Elanna commands.

Naomi begins to execute the order and feels her ears begin to pop. The constant attack on the bridge begins to slice it open, removing the entire ceiling of the room. Even if emergency forcefields were working, it couldn’t save them from that type of breach. Everyone begins to float up and out of their seats into the dark reaches of space.

***

Janeway and Chakotay continue to climb decks, finally reaching an open hatch. They crawl out and immediately she accesses the ship's current status on the wall monitor. “The bridge is gone,” and they look at each other, knowing that they’ve just lost many friends but at the same time intrinsically know they’ll have to morn them later if there is a later. 

Chakotay taps his com badge, “Chakotay to the Doctor.”

_“Go ahead.”_

“Meet us in engineering. We’re going to finish the procedure.”

_“Understood.”_

Grabbing his shoulder to stop his motion she says perplexed, “We don’t have time to worry about that right now.”

“That’s not necessarily true,” he replies stopping, and turns toward her slightly, “Come with me, I’ll explain on the way,” he grasps her hand and begins to pull her along, and she allows it.

Reaching engineering had been a challenge. Now that the shields were down Cardassians, Breen, Romulans, and Klingons had beamed onto the ship and were killing everyone they came across. The Doctor had run into them on the way to deck eleven with a compression phaser rifle in his hands, shooting anyone who was not part of the crew. Running inside, they sealed the doors as the Doctor ran over to check the pod and get it prepared. 

It looked like hell had been unleashed in here, a large beam lying across the pod. When she and Chakotay turned and moved toward him he said, “I’m sorry Captain, the pod has been damaged.”

Her mind whirled with a million thoughts, but only one came back to her, the second option his colleagues on Denobula had said, “Didn’t you say we could destroy the compound with a subspace implosion?”

“Yes, but that would-”

She cut him off, “Can we create one?” Her mind running at warp ten.

“Yes, but we would have to overload three plasma injectors,” Chakotay said, “That would send a feedback pulse through the reactor.”

She began running toward the wall panel.

“You’ll destroy the ship!” The Doctor called after her.

“At this point, it won’t make much of a difference,” She replied removing the wall panel which housed the injectors, “You two get to a shuttle pod, if this doesn’t work out, at least you’ll still have a chance to thrive elsewhere,” then moved over to the warp core. Chakotay ignored her and began to access one of the consoles, helping to complete the overload. She looks at him strangely, “That’s an order!”

“With all due respect Kathryn, you were relieved of command,” he points out kindly.

She stares at him for a moment, having forgotten and looks to the Doctor who only stares back, unmoving. “Alright,” she says giving and nod and accesses the console, “One of the plasma injectors is damaged, we’ll have to replace it. They’re in supply locker C on the upper level.”

The Doctor nods and moves toward the ladder. Once he grabs the box, he drops it down to Chakotay who catches the heavy bulky container and hands it to Kathryn before he turns back to the console. Rushing over, she begins to make the exchange as the sounds of weapons fire is heard out in the corridor. A massive firefight is taking place. After a couple of minutes, she completes the repair and looks back toward her companions, “We’re back in business,” and replaces the panel.

The Doctor, who has been standing vigil on the second level with the phaser rifle sees movement. A Cardassian and Breen are coming toward him, he fires, and the Cardassian goes down, the Breen takes cover for a second before jumping out to fire at the plasma conduit next to him. The blast knocks him off his feet and sends him flying over the rail and onto the level below, his mobile emitter damaged by the blast is deactivated, his weapon slides toward Janeway.

“Doctor!” She cried and picked up the rifle. Aiming it at the Breen, she fires, missing him by centimeters, but causes him to fall back temporarily. She continues to exchange fire with him, and she moves back to the console near the warp core where Chakotay is working, providing cover, “How much longer?”

“Stand by,” he replies, working the console as fast as possible.

A Klingon from the other side of the walkway on the upper level that she hadn’t spotted yet, shoots Chakotay. He cries out and falls to the floor, his hands gripping his chest. Anger in her eyes, she looks up and spots the Klingon and fires, he falls instantly. She moves to see if she can spot the Breen, she’s been exchanging fire with. Not seeing him on the right side any longer, she notices movement on the left in an attempt to try and catch her off guard. Spotting him she fires and his body falls to the floor. 

She turns toward the console, trying to finish the commands Chakotay was working on. There was no time to react to his death, if this worked, they might all still be alive and back in the Delta quadrant. 

One came in from the right, a Romulan. A shot hits her arm, causing her to almost drop the rifle and cry out. Moving around the warp core to another console, she raises the rifle despite the pain and shoots the Romulan before tapping in more commands, needing to complete their task. The Breen she didn’t see comes up from behind and shoots her in the back, causing her to drop the rifle and fall across the console. With the last of her strength, she taps in the final commands needed to cause the overload before she allows herself to fall to the floor. Her eyes lock onto Chakotay’s still form, her breathing coming in short gasps. She regretted not telling him how she felt before all this happened, so he would know precisely how much she loved him, now it was too late.

The ship began to explode, creating an implosion in subspace, and she waited for it to come. This hell would finally be over one way or another. 

When her eyes fluttered open, she was in sickbay. The Doctor was standing over her with a smile and scanning her with a medical tricorder, “How do you feel?”

“As though I’d been shot by a phaser on heavy stun,” she replied, the headache was relentless, “What’s our status?”

The Doctor placed a hypospray to her neck, releasing an analgesic to dull the pain. 

Chakotay gave her a smile, “All ships systems are running at peak efficiency. Not a cube in sight.”

She struggled to sit up, and both men helped her get there, “Take it, easy Captain, you lost consciousness in the turbolift, it was the Commander that brought you in. You seem to be no worse for wear, but I’m relieving you of duty for the next couple of days to rest. Whatever caused it, certainly left you in a weakened state.”

“This time, I don’t think I’m going to argue with you Doctor,” she said rubbing her head. The analgesic was starting to take the edge off, but it would still take a little longer for her to feel like herself again. 

“If you’re up for it,” Chakotay began, “We can still have our weekly dinner tonight and discuss something other than the Borg for a while.”

She gave a lop-sided smile and replied, “Sounds good to me,” and offered him her hand. He took it and helped her down off the biobed. Once she was standing face to face with him, she didn’t let go at first, feeling something deep inside telling her the action felt as natural and breathing. 

He gave her a strange look, “Kathryn, are you alright?”

The smile widened, “Yes, I’m fine,” releasing his hand she threaded her arm through his as they began walking out of sickbay. The Doctor only heard a brief part of the conversation as they left, “I had the strangest dream.”

“Dreams can be a powerful tool. Later when you’re up for it, I can take you on another vision quest,” He offered.

“It’s a date,” she replied with a smile as the doors closed behind them. 

**The End**

**Author's Note:**

> Members, as well as guests, are free and able to leave comments on any of my work.


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